Astrophysics > Astrophysics of Galaxies

Abstract: We present results of more than three decades of timing measurements of the
first known binary pulsar, PSR B1913+16. Like most other pulsars, its
rotational behavior over such long time scales is significantly affected by
small-scale irregularities not explicitly accounted for in a deterministic
model. Nevertheless, the physically important astrometric, spin, and orbital
parameters are well determined and well decoupled from the timing noise. We
have determined a significant result for proper motion, $\mu_{\alpha} =
-1.43\pm0.13$, $\mu_{\delta}=-0.70\pm0.13$ mas yr$^{-1}$. The pulsar exhibited
a small timing glitch in May 2003, with ${\Delta f}/f=3.7\times10^{-11}$, and a
smaller timing peculiarity in mid-1992. A relativistic solution for orbital
parameters yields improved mass estimates for the pulsar and its companion,
$m_1=1.4398\pm0.0002 \ M_{\sun}$ and $m_2=1.3886\pm0.0002 \ M_{\sun}$. The
system's orbital period has been decreasing at a rate $0.997\pm0.002$ times
that predicted as a result of gravitational radiation damping in general
relativity. As we have shown before, this result provides conclusive evidence
for the existence of gravitational radiation as predicted by Einstein's theory.

Comments:

Published in APJ, 722, 1030 (2010)

Subjects:

Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA); General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)